A bank robber got as far as a nearby pawn shop before a dye pack, inserted in his wad of stolen cash, exploded in his pants, authorities said.
The man then fled the store, leaving behind the money that contained the theft-detection device.
Fort Lauderdale Police Department spokeswoman Kathy Collins says the man matched descriptions of a robber who pilfered a bag of money Monday from a Pompano Beach bank about an hour earlier.
Authorities are still looking for him.
No one was injured, but bystanders in the shop complained their eyes stung from the dye mixture that contained some Mace.